Baker still revisits his mountainside home to bring water to his animals.

Social interaction is the main entertainment at the jail. Baker said he enjoyed getting to know Stephen Richards, a 90-year-old World War II veteran with the US Army Air Corps.

“The most interesting person for me is Mr. Richards,” Baker said. “You’re eating with a hero.”

Stephen Richards and his wife, Nellie, came to shelter to escape the heat.

Nellie Richards said the heat and husband’s heart condition made her too nervous to stay at home.

She has enjoyed meeting the other visitors and volunteers.

“We just mingle with the folks,” she said. “I haven’t met one of them that wasn’t nice.”

Despite the power outage at home, Nellie Richards continues to volunteer every Monday at Virginia Baptist Hospital.

“They’re just remarkable people,” Amherst County Social Services Worker Kathy Jones said of the Richards.

Jones said many people have donated supplies to the shelter, including linens, water, and ice.

“It’s been a community effort,” she said. “I think everyone has just tried to make the best of the situation.

“I appreciate it,” Baker said. “Can you imagine not having it?”

Additional power outages occurred in Bedford and Campbell counties following Sunday night’s thunderstorm. But by Monday afternoon, less than 100 Southside Electric Cooperative customers in those counties were without power.